21

H.— 31a

(6.) The basis of allocation of nineteen-twentieths of such, contribution among the individual Boards should be on the principle that the heavier the burden of' a Board's requirements on the rateable capital value of its district the higher the subsidy, but that the rate of subsidy, per £]. levy should not exceed 265. nor be less than 14s. in the case of any individual Board. The remaining one-twentieth of such contribution should be specially allocated in equal proportion to the hospitals at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, for the purpose of developing and extending the work of special departments essential to base hospitals, but be not used in any case for ordinary maintenance purposes. In view of the special subsidy contribution, the other Hospital Boards should have the right to send patients for admission to these hospitals for special treatment, on payment of the maintenance fee. In arriving at the burden of a Board's requirements on the rateable capital value of its district, a deduction be made from such rateable capital value of the capital value of all non-rate-producing Native lands. 3. The Government should subsidize voluntary contributions to Hospital Boards for general maintenance purposes or for specific maintenance purposes approved by the Minister at the rate of £l for £l. The Government should, on the recommendation of the Minister, subsidize voluntary contributions, bequests, and devises for capital purposes, or endowments, at the rate of £l for £l. 4. (a.) The Mercury Bay Hospital should be merged in the Coromandel Hospital District. (b.) The Oamaru Hospital should continue to be treated as a separate institution under the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, and receive the same scale of subsidies as Hospital Boards. (c.) The Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Auckland, is an educational institution, and as such should be removed from the list of separate institutions under the Act, and in future should receive financial assistance from the Education Department. (d.) The Reefton Ladies' Benevolent Society be removed from the list of separate institutions and affiliated with the Inangahua Hospital Board. (c.) The Wellingtoon Convalescent Home, St. Andrew's Orphanage (Nelson), Wellington Ladies' Christian Association, Hawke's Bay Children's Home, and the Wellington Society for Relief of the Aged Needy should be continued at separate institutions, and receive the same scale of subsidies as Hospital Boards on voluntary contributions and bequests. 5. The Plunket Society and Salvation Army should continue to receive financial assistance from, the Government through the headquarters of each organization. The Government should make an annual grant to other charitable societies and institutions, and allot same on the recommendation of Hospital Boards, having regard to the amount of voluntary contributions and the number of inmates. 6. (a.) A uniform fee of £3 3s. per week for adults and £l lis. 6d. for children under fourteen years should be charged for maintenance and treatment in public hospitals. Boards to have permission to reduce such fees in necessitous cases. Boards to have the power to contract with friendly societies for the maintenance and treatment of their members on a guaranteed payment of one-half the above fees. (/>.) In order to extend further their usefulness, there should be established in connection with public hospitals, wherever the conditions are favourable, private wards to which patients would be admitted on payment of adequate fees for maintenance and nursing attendance. Such wards to be under the control of the Medical Superintendent, but patients to choose their own medical attendant, and make their own arrangements as to his fees. 7. (a.) Section 9 (2), Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, 1909, should be amended so as to allocate the representatives of contributory districts in. proportion to their respective rateable capital value and papulation, at a ratio of two-thirds on rateable capital value and one-third on population. (b.) The existing system of representation and suffrage should continue, except where local contributory bodies having different forms of suffrage are united in one combined district ; in such cases the ratepayers suffrage should apply over the whole area.